Jack’s Jumper (Sara Acton, Walker)
Jack’s jumper is far too big for him (it once belonged to his beloved big brother Paul, who has grown up and is rarely home anymore) but that’s half the fun of it. It can be a cave, an elephant costume, a hug, a soft cushion for a fall—all the adventures a little boy and his cat could want. But one day his cat decides the jumper might be more fun as a ball of yarn, unravelling the entire thing. Luckily Paul comes to the rescue, secretly knitting the yarn back into a jumper, now the perfect size for Jack, with enough left over to make a cushion for the cat’s newly arrived surprise kittens. The sweet gesture reiterates the loving relationship between the brothers and the fact that such connections are not damaged by absence. The light-touch watercolours capture perfectly the safe, comforting tone of a naive childhood where imagination is all, and life is marred only by brief and minor glitches easily repaired by loved and trusted older siblings. While there is plenty of text on each page, it flows easily and smoothly, and is an amiable little journey for the very young (readers aged three and up). The re-knitted jumper and the fact that it is no longer too big for Jack symbolise the gradual growth and change inherent in children’s daily lives, demonstrating that such change need not be upsetting.
Anica Boulanger-Mashberg is a freelance editor, writer and reviewer, and has worked as a bookseller at The Hobart Bookshop for over 15 years.
